Rota Island

by Anthony Albright

Who knew
this hue
of blue
existed?
Did you?
Through and
through the
catalogs of blue
I knew before,
none prepared me
for the hue
of this remote
coastal shore.
Nor did my
mind comprehend
the pleasant din
of the waves’
crushing roar.
What’s more, the smell
of well-spring shoals
untouched by
fisher’s nets.
And perfect palms
that sing their songs
on each sea breeze’s
breath.
Oh death, take
for sojourner’s sake my
long last breath before
old age erases memory
of this bluest coastal shore.

Dr. Anthony James Albright is a Choctaw poet living near the Mississippi River in Minnesota. His primary focus as a writer and scholar is the recovery of underrepresented voices, like veterans and natives. He has been published in North Dakota Quarterly, Northern Narratives, Northern Ecclecta, Beyond Paralax, News from the Mothership, The Rapids Review, The Blue and Gold, and the New Jersey English Journal, among others. His poetry takes inspiration from oral tradition, Anglo-Saxon Bob and Wheel, Shakespeare, and more modern forms of poetry, including advertising and video game literature. He has occasionally lectured at public schools, community spaces, and colleges throughout the Midwest.